Spring 2014 - 63760 - PA396K - Internship in Public Policy

Course Overview

All students must satisfy the LBJ School's experiential requirement in order to graduate. That requirement can be met by taking a 12-week summer internship for no credit, enrolling in the internship course for credit (as an elective), or providing written documentation of prior public service or administrative work experience equivalent to the internship experience. The internship, usually taken in the summer, provides a student with the opportunity to participate in and observe, as a full-time working member of the staff, the daily policy-related activities of a local, state, or federal government agency, or a nongovernmental agency which is concerned with the public sector. Internships are also available in a variety of international settings, including U.S. embassies abroad, United Nations organizations, and agencies of foreign governments. The internship is a structured learning situation involving the intern, the agency supervisor, and the LBJ School faculty supervisor. It provides (1) an opportunity for a student to use the skills and experience gained during the first year of his or her academic program in a way that is mutually beneficial to the student and the agency, and (2) a learning experience for the student which will enhance his or her academic work during the second year of the program. Adequate supervision, educational assignments, and practical benefit to the agency and student are the ingredients of a successful internship.